The Land Cruiser Heritage Museum

Tucked away in an unassuming Salt Lake City, Utah warehouse is an extensive collection of Toyota Land Cruisers – The Land Cruiser Heritage museum. This project is Greg Miller’s labor of love, and the result is truly impressive. I was lucky enough to get a private tour of the facility from Kurt Williams of Cruiser Outfitters (cruiseroutfitters.com) and took a few pictures to share with the ExPo crowd.

The collection covers everything from the first Land Cruisers that looked more Willies than FJ, to some brand new 70 series straight from Japan.

1 LC Museum FJ25

 

Years of Land Cruiser evolution is represented, starting with some clean examples of the 40 and 50 series, as well as a few rust free 60 series.

13 LC Museum Basic BJ70

This basic BJ70 was used as a Japanese country club vehicle. When I say basic, I mean it has only an AM radio and no tach – but I think I could live with that, right?

 

One of my favorite things about the museum is that some of the trucks have obviously lived a great life.

18 LC Museum Venezuala FJ73 17 LC Museum Venezuala FJ73

There’s a lot of 70s in the museum – but man, I would trade my Tacoma in a heartbeat for this Venezuela-spec soft top FJ73.

19 LC Museum New Zealand VDJ78

The collection continues toward the present and includes every Land Cruiser from the Expeditions 7 adventure.

 

However, along the wall things get interesting…

24 LC Museum BXD10 23 LC Museum BXD10 22 LC Museum BXD10

No, that’s not a Humvee that snuck into the museum, it’s a BXD10, otherwise known as a Mega Cruiser. Originally a military vehicle in Japan, this example was cut into quarters, shipped to the US as parts, then reassembled.

25 LC Museum PX10

Nearby you’ll find a PX10, a small SUV commissioned by Toyota in the 1990s and only produced in small quantities. Some say it may have tested the market for a later retro/modern Toyota…

29 LC Museum Delta Mini Cruiser

28 LC Museum Delta Mini Cruiser27 LC Museum Early 1980s Blizzard

Next to the Blizzards, you’ll find a Delta Mini Cruiser. These were handbuilt in the Phillippines using Toyota parts, and no two vehicles are exactly alike. This particular example made it to eastern Europe before joining the collection.

30 LC Museum Proffitts Crawler

And of course, if you look around long enough, you’ll find some easter eggs, like this lightly modified Proffitts crawler.

32 LC Museum Frankenstein FJ45

Or this Frankenstein FJ45 that began life as a short bed, but was later modified to a troopy, with thermal and night vision to complete the owner’s dream bug out vehicle.

33 LC Museum Frankenstein FJ4535 LC Museum BJ73 For Sale 34 LC Museum FJ47 For Sale 34 LC Museum FJ45LV For Sale

And of course, the best section of the museum? The part you can take home.

 

LC Museum Variety 6 LC Museum Early FJ40

5 LC Museum Early FJ404 LC Museum 2015 GRJ79

3 LC Museum 2015 GRJ79 2 LC Museum FJ25 9 LC Museum 1978 FJ55

10 LC Museum 1978 FJ5512 LC Museum JDM HJ61

8 LC Museum JDM BJ44 11 LC Museum JDM HJ61 16 LC Museum Proffitts BJ73

15 LC Museum Proffitts BJ7321 LC Museum BXD10

I wish I could have gone more in depth with every single Land Cruiser there – but it’s just one of those things you have to see in person. If you can, check out the museum when you’re in Salt Lake. There’s no way you’ll leave without a smile on your face and a renewed dedication to check for BJ73 funds in your bank account…

 

Visit www.landcruisermuseum.com to set up a tour or to learn more about the vehicles for sale.

Max is a director and photographer based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Combining his knowledge of advertising and love of film, Max has found his niche shooting commercials and short films of cars, motorcycles, firearms, overland travel and off-road vehicles. In his spare time, he documents vintage BMW restoration and builds.